


The Boy With The Orange Hair (Indefinite Hiatus)

by Headphone_Love



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Both nerds are homeschooled, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Homeschool! AU, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Slow Burn, because I said so, why
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-05 22:24:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11022822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Headphone_Love/pseuds/Headphone_Love
Summary: Tsukishima has been homeschooled for most of his life.When a new family moves in next door, he is annoyed.When he hears their son is also homeschooled, his interest is peaked.Maybe a new kid isn't too bad.





	1. Me Too

**Author's Note:**

> Because I am weak and Hinata is so shippable with most people.  
> Take another story.  
> This one will be updated every Sunday, while "You're Cute" will be updated on Friday or Saturdays ^^ 
> 
> Enjoy~
> 
> ~HxL

Tsukishima stared at the moving truck outside, slightly annoyed at the ruckus their new neighbors were making. He watched with squinted eyes, trying to make out the people’s appearances without his glasses. It wasn’t every day that someone moved into the town, and he wondered whether this person would last or not. It wasn’t an awful place: it was just boring. At least boring for Tsukishima, one of the few homeschooled children within a 60-mile radius.

Talking online got tiring fairly quick.

He reached for his glasses, tapping away at the nightstand before grabbing them and placing them on. He yawned, wiping away the tears that formed in his eyes from the action and placed his focus back on the loud family outside his apartment complex. He eyed two people standing beside the truck; the little girl chatted away enthusiastically while the older listened, his headphones pushed back on one ear. His wild orange hair sprung up in most directions, slightly covering his eyes but not to the point they seemed to obstruct his vision.

A woman with dark brown hair walked around, smiling at them both and pointed her arms in the direction of the apartment, it being across the way from his own.The blond did notice that they had managed to get one on the first floor rather than the second where he himself lived. It made sense as he thought about it. The first-floor apartments were always vacant since they cost a bit more than the second-floor ones.

The blond turned when he heard the door crack open, his mother peeking her head in and smiling.

“Ah, you are already up!” she said as he nodded lazily.

“Yeah, I will be down for breakfast in a minute,” he replied, her grin growing wider.

That was never a good thing.

“We are actually going to be having extra guests today at breakfast,” she said excitedly. The blond teen frowned.

“Who?”

He had a feeling he already knew that answer.

“I invited our new neighbors over, just so they could get accustomed to the area and ask us any questions”

Tsukishima felt his disinterest growing.

“Swell” he spoke sarcastically, a chuckle leaving her lips as she motioned at him, her hand moving back and forth.

“Wash and get dressed, you sarcastic child,”

“Ay ay,” he said with a salute, her light laughter echoing as she shut the door.

He let a slight smile form on his lips.

* * *

 

“Ms. Hinata, this is my son, Kei.”

The blond bowed his head in greeting as the brunette woman smiled. She looked tired, though Tsukishima didn’t blame her. It was early and she had just moved into a new place; it was bound to be somewhat stressful.

“Pleasure to meet you, ma'am,”

“Such a polite son,” she complimented, bowing in return. She turned to Natsu and Hinata, smiling proudly at them. Tsukishima found that this smile looked much more sincere and emotional than the one before it.

“This is my son, Shouyou, and this is my daughter, Natsu.” she introduced as the ginger bowed his head but didn’t make any eye contact. Natsu was the one who jumped forward, holding out a hand and grinning.

“Hi! Do you like swimming? I just learned how to swim all by myself!” she stated, and the blond could see the ginger male smile weakly at the comment.

“I do know how to swim,” he responded with a nod. He felt awkward, as he had never had a sibling or a younger child to mentor. It was new and slightly uncomfortable.

“Natsu, why don’t you go with Mom and get something to eat? You said you were hungry right?” the male asked as he fidgeted with the wire on his headsets. She perked and nodded vigorously.

“Mom! Are there any waffles?!” she asked, Ms. Hinata turning slightly red in the face at her child’s seemingly endless energy.

“There are, I will show you the kitchen,” Tsukishima’s mother spoke as Ms. Hinata looked at her with a grateful expression. The two left with Natsu between them, chatting away (Tsukishima’s mother more so than Hinata’s).

The two teenage boys stood, one looking down at his shoes as if they were the most interesting items in the world and one watching the other do so.

“So”, Tsukishima spoke, attempting to create small talk for his mother’s sake. He would all but rather be upstairs, watching television or starting that essay he was supposed to do a week before.

“So,” the other repeated, shifting to his left foot, his right tapping against the ground.

“Feel free to get comfortable, my mother invited you over as guests. No need to be so reserved,” the blond stated as he plopped onto the couch. Hinata watched with an odd fascination.

“Ah, thanks. New places slightly freak me out,” he admitted, moving to sit at the other edge of the couch.

“Oh?” the blond questioned. He wasn’t truly interested, but he had gotten the kid speaking. It would be easier if the other did most of the talking. Hinata nodded and cleared his throat.

“Any specific reason why?” Tsukishima tried to pull, though Hinata just shrugged his shoulders and picked at the skin around his fingernails.

“Reasons.”

The room grew silent again. The awkwardness was almost too much for the blond until the ginger thankfully spoke again, the topic even being somewhat decent.

“Do you like music?” he asked. The blond nodded and let his cheek rest against his palm.

“All kinds except for opera and country. Not a fan,”

Hinata made an “O” with his lips, nodding in agreement.

“Agreed. I tend to listen more to alternative I guess. Pumps you up,”

Tsukishima hummed, eyes scanning the teen. He kept tapping against his legs or tapping his foot as well as picking at his nails. It was slightly unnerving and he was curious as to why he did it. The blond then remembered that he probably left his whole life back wherever he had come from, and scolded himself for judging the new guy so soon. It must be tough moving around.

“Any sports?” Tsukishima questioned the ginger perking a bit.

“I like volleyball,”

That makes two of us, the taller male thought to himself before continuing.

“You play libero?”

The ginger frowned deeply and vigorously shook his head, eyes gaining a light that they hadn’t had before. Tsukishima was slightly intrigued.

“I spike,” he said as he motioned with his hand, swinging it with reckless abandon. “I suck at a lot of things” he confessed. “But hitting and jumping are my talents”

“Ever play on a team?”

‘’No,”

“So how are they your talents?”

The ginger blushed, looking away. Tsukishima wondered if he teased a bit too harshly for a first meeting.

“It is hard to play on a team when you don’t go to a school with a team,”

“What school did you go to?”

“I didn’t,”

Tsukishima raised a brow.

“Meaning?”

“I am home schooled,”

The blond straightened, cheek no longer resting against his palm. Hinata shifted under the other’s gaze. Tsukishima knew he had shown too much at the new found knowledge and cleared his throat.

“Me too,”

Hinata was the one who tensed this time.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

This time the silence wasn’t as uncomfortable.

* * *

 

“Another essay?” Tsukishima asked, the ginger nodding and letting out a deep breath. He looked exhausted, books surrounding him: some half open and others marked to the point where Tsukishima swore there was a note on every page.

Over the few weeks that Hinata had been around, they had begun to do homework together. Their mothers seemed to coordinate their lessons for this specific reason, and while Tsukishima hadn’t been thrilled about being set up on a “play date”, he had to admit that it was a lot more interesting doing homework with Hinata around than alone.

“No, this is the same one…,” he said sheepishly. “I just never got around to it because I spent all of yesterday doing math,”

Tsukishima nodded, leaning his cheek against his palm.

“How long have you been homeschooled?” Tsukishima questioned, it being something he had meant to ask for a while. Hinata thought about it for a moment. His head tilted to the side, while the pencil in his hand rested against his chin.

“About five years?” he mumbled, unsure about how long himself.

The blond nodded at the new information.

“I have been since about first grade” he explained as Hinata eyed him with wide eyes.

“Woah~,” he said, smiling a bit. The blond noticed that the ginger was extremely similar to his little sister once he opened up, but whenever he was around her he seemed to clam up. It was like he had all these different versions of himself; Tsukishima found that the ginger was both predictable and unpredictable at the same time.

If that made any sense.

“I am taking a break” he groaned, slumping over the table, a soft _thump_ echoing throughout his room. It was larger than Tsukishima’s own, but decorated enough to the point it didn’t seem lonely. Most of the stuff, Tsukishima had discovered, was new. Hinata had explained how much they left behind during the move along with the stuff they simply lost track of.

“Is it possible to need a break after only a half hour?” the blond asked with a smirk as Hinata shot his head up and glared.

“You shush, you have math,” he grumbled.

“Yeah, because I did the essay _before_ so I wouldn’t have to worry about it,”

Hinata stuck his tongue out and rested his head on the table, shutting his eyes and taking in deep breaths. Tsukishima worked on the math, most of it review for a quiz his mother had informed him about. Getting sucked into it, he finished within 15 minutes and leaned back, brain fried from the process of doing and redoing of certain problems. He looked over at Hinata who hadn’t lifted his head the entire time, frowning.

Was the kid really that burnt out?

“Hinata,” he spoke, noticing that the other’s fingers seemed to flinch but he didn’t move other than that.

“Oi, Hinata,” Tsukishima stood, stretching out his joints and walking around the table, feeling slightly amused once he realized why the other hadn’t been responding. With closed eyes and parted lips, Hinata was completely asleep. His breathing was even, fingers flinching every once in awhile against the table.

“How tired can one be for a 6-page essay?” he mumbled as he looked at the prompt before frowning. The words were all in English.

“What the hell,” he mumbled, understanding the prompt easily since his father spoke fluent English for business reasons. He wondered how Hinata had learned and if the other spoke it fluently or was just proficient at it. He then wondered why his essay hadn’t been in English as well but figured it was his mother’s doing. She and his father had always agreed to teach him both Japanese and English, though she tended to be slightly biased sometimes.

He let Hinata rest, deciding that maybe a nap wouldn’t kill them. He plopped back into the bean bag chair and shut his eyes, arms behind his head. With a deep breath, he allowed himself to drift off.


	2. An Easy Shrimp Like Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids hit it off, but Tsukishima still doesn't know when to close his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a lighter chapter, though I promise it picks up soon.  
> Thank you for reading and have a lovely day ^^ 
> 
> ~HxL

“Volleyball?”

“Do you want to play or not, idiot?” Tsukishima asked. Hinata grinned, nodding his head. His hands were clenched in front of him, hair following his vigorous nodding.

“I do!”

The blond smirked. Hinata was so excited he didn’t even correct the insulting nickname.

“Wait, did you call me an idiot?” he asked while they slipped their shoes on. Tsukishima snorted.

“Just put on your shoes, Hinata,”

Once dressing was out of the way, the two said goodbye to Tsukishima's parents and walked away from the apartment complex. Tsukishima headed towards the only place he knew where they could play volleyball without being interrupted.

“There used to be a summer camp in the area, but it shut down a few years back. This is the only thing that seemed to survive and age well” the blond explained as they looked at the torn but still somewhat decent volleyball net. It was lower than standard due to drooping but Hinata admired it. His reaction made Tsukishima wonder if he had ever seen a good net in his life. 

“No one really comes here at all because they think it is a safety hazard.”

“Wah~,” Hinata gaped at it, eyes nearly bulging from his head.

“Close that mouth, kid,”

Hinata puffed his cheeks out, turning to look at Tsukishima with a smug look.

"Don't call me a kid when I am older than you. That is disrespectful!”

A pause.

“You are delusional. You are like 5’2,”

“5’4 and seven inches!” he corrected before placing his hands on his hips. “And besides, my birthday is in June while yours is in September. The months don’t lie,”

Tsukishima tossed the ball up and down in his hand, thinking about the ginger’s words. Hinata smugness only grew with this evidence. The taller male let out a breath of disbelief.

“You are almost a foot shorter than me,”

The ginger grew flustered, glaring while he ran towards the blond and grabbed the ball from his grip. The action startled the taller male into silence.

“I told you that my height has nothing to do with most things” he stated, and Tsukishima wondered if his height was a sore topic. He looked riled up, but Hinata was easily one of the most hyper people he had ever met at some points. At other points, he was the quietest.

“Alright alright, let’s just play. You go on that side,” he said as Hinata frowned, but nodded and jogged over, the sand warm between his toes.

He stood, eyeing Tsukishima from through the net. The blond nodded, signaling he was ready.

With a grin, Hinata spun the ball in his hands and tossing it up.

Tsukishima would be lying if he said he didn’t stop for a moment, watching Hinata jump and smack the ball with all he had. The ball zipped past his head, hitting the sand behind him silently. 

He turned to look at it, Hinata grinning from ear to ear from the other side of the court. 

"Service ace, if I am correct," he cheered. Tsukishima picked up the ball, unable to stop the smile that slipped onto his lips. 

Completely and utterly unpredictable.

* * *

 “Sick?”

Tsukishima raised a brow and listened in on his mother’s phone call. Her mouth was covered by a hand, the mom body-language that meant “oh dear” or “oh my goodness, what a shame”. He shoveled another spoon of cereal down his throat.

“Of course! She can come over, wouldn’t want her getting sick as well!” Tsukishima’s mother could be heard chuckling until she bid the caller goodbye and hung up.

“Tsuki, can you set up the guest room for Natsu? Poor dear will be spending the night here. Hinata seems to have caught something”

The blond wanted to ask how Hinata had gotten sick, though he simply nodded.

“Sure, not a problem” he mumbled as he looked down at his cereal. She pecked the top of his head, leaving to prepare for the seven-year old's arrival, no doubt. He wondered how Hinata of all people had managed to get sick, remembering how the idiot tended to be on an everlasting motor. Always running, always reaching, and never slowing down.

It was irritatingly admirable.

“Idiot,” he mumbled, shoving the final spoon of his cereal into his mouth.

* * *

 “Shimashima?”

“Yes, Natsu?”

The blond had grown accustomed to nicknames from the mini Hinata. His name seemed a bit too long for her to say without it getting tongue twisted occasionally. He also had gotten used to Natsu being stuck at his hip whenever she was over because of how much he looked like his father. She seemed to have taken a liking to the older man.

“Is my brother okay?”

He stopped typing, raising a brow at the child.

“Of course, he is just sick. Maybe the flu,”

She hummed, nodding as she pieced it together.

“Are you sure? He looked white. And he wasn’t sneezing like I do when I get sick,”

“White?”

She nodded.

“White,” she repeated in a matter of factly tone. “You know, like the color?”

The blond assumed she meant pale and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair gently. It was something he had seen Hinata do to her and it always seemed to calm her down.

“He’ll be alright, Natsu,” he murmured awkwardly. “Your brother is strong, right?” he asked, Natsu perking up and nodding immediately.

“The strongest! He jumps so high and he go SHWOO and then whenever he smiles he always looks so HWAH~,”

As she went on Tsukishima let out a small chuckle.

Natsu and Hinata were definitely siblings: cut from the same cloth.

As Natsu went on about her great older brother, Tsukishima looked out the window to the apartment across the way from him: Hinata’s apartment. The lights were on, and there seemed to be people talking rather heatedly. The curtains were in the way of showing who it was exactly, but the two people left towards a room Tsukishima couldn’t see. He leaned in closer, trying to catch a glimpse until one of the people returned to a spot he could view, the front door opened.

“Shimashima?”

He turned to the child beside him and nodded, showing he was paying attention.

“You should smile, like this!”

She placed her fingers against the corners of her mouth pulling them upwards.

“Brother says it makes people feel better,”

The blond held back a snort and offered her a small smile.

“Does it make you feel better?”

She nodded and grinned wider, if possible considering her small face.

When he turned back to the window after smiling at her, the lot was silent as if nothing had happened. Tsukishima wondered if he had missed something but didn’t have much time to dwell as Natsu begged him for a bedtime story.

* * *

 “ _You_ aren’t in the mood for  _volleyball?_ ”

Hinata smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I am tired! What, I can’t be tired every once in awhile?” he teased. Tsukishima rolled his eyes. He was about to retort until his door burst open, revealing a screaming Natsu and Tsukishima’s surprisingly upbeat father.

“Sorry!” his father shouted as he continued to chase after Natsu. The two ran around the room until Natsu exited the room. His father was hot on her tail, laughter audible from down the hall. The two teens were surprised at the intrusion and looked at each other. They covered their mouths with their hands to hide their amusement at the situation.

“He always wanted me to have a little sister, but all he got were two boys,” he joked, Hinata snickering. He grinned evilly.

“How unfortunate for him,”

Tsukishima shoved him, sending the smaller male tumbling over. He broke into a laughing fit, the younger male finding that Hinata had a rather nice laugh. It was light and not as loud as he had assumed it would be.

Hinata held his stomach, laying on the floor with his eyes closed. He looked completely content, breathing even and face relaxed. If Tsukishima hadn't known any better, he'd think that he was trying to fall asleep on his floor. 

The taller of the two didn't comment aloud but watched his friend for a moment. He was unsure of why seeing Hinata so calm automatically made him relax.

“I like your ceiling,” the older male spoke to break the accidental silence. Tsukishima wondered when he had opened his eyes again. 

“It is a plain white ceiling with old stars on it,” the blond said, unable to understand what was so nice about it. It was a bit bland in his eyes, though Hinata's expression made it clear that he hadn't said it just for conversation sake.

“I like the stars,” Hinata defended as he stuck out his tongue. “It makes it cool to look at,”

Tsukishima tried to find the interest but failed. Perhaps it was because he had been looking at them for years now. He had begged his father for them as a kid since he had been heavily into science. He still was, and the solar system was one of his favorite topics. It was large and unexplored: completely foreign. At the thought of solar systems, he remembered something else that could give them both something to do.

He stood, walking over to his closet and digging through it.

“What are you looking for, Shimashima?” Hinata asked curiously, stealing the nickname Natsu had given him. At first, he had cringed, not wanting Hinata to call him it at all. He had warmed up to it, though, and so it had become a habit. 

He pulled out a package: slightly dusty and possibly a few years old. He brushed it off, coughing as the dust moved into the air. When he finished, he tossed them over to Hinata. 

“They aren’t new and they might not stick well or still glow but…,” he began as he made eye contact with the ginger. Hinata was still, eyeing the package with intense concentration. He wasn't vibrating with excitement as Tsukishima thought he would be, and that was a red flag in itself. He looked up to stare at Tsukishima with a neutral expression.

“What is it, idiot?” he grumbled, feeling his cheeks heat up. Had this been a stupid idea?

Hinata hugged the package to his chest, smile reappearing on his face.

“Thank you,” Hinata said softly, touched that Tsukishima had thought of the idea. Tsukishima shifted, avoiding eye contact and motioning with his head in the direction of Hinata’s apartment.

“Let’s go,”

* * *

 Hinata and Tsukishima lay against the carpeted floor gazing up at their handy work. Hinata was grinning from ear to ear, eyes traveling from one star to the next. The lights were off, though some pooled in from the window courtesy of the moon and the streetlights. Tsukishima found that watching Hinata’s reaction was a lot more entertaining than the stars themselves. When Hinata closed his own eyes and let out a content breath, the blond looked away, back to the stars that matched those in his own room.

“So they still work,” he blurted awkwardly, Hinata turning to look at him. Letting out a light laugh, he nodded.

“They do,”

His gaze lingered on Tsukishima for a moment before he sat up, stretching and rubbing his shoulders.

“What, sore from putting up stars?”

Hinata pouted.

“Something like that,” he said, sticking his tongue out and turning so he was sitting in the blond’s direction. “I have a question for the mighty Tsukishima Kei,”

“Oh, I am mighty now?” he asked with a smirk as he moved to sit up, elbow resting on his knee. His free hand rested against the carpet, keeping him balanced.

“Don’t push it,” Hinata grumbled, crossing his arms. “I wanted to know what someone should do if they...kinda...maybe...,” he started, looking down and fiddling with the ends of his oversized shirt.

“If they…?” Tsukishima repeated, the shorter male taking in a deep breath.

“I am really bad at social situations,” he said honestly.

“Could have fooled me,”

“Shut up,” he said as he grabbed a pillow, raising it as a weapon before cuddling it to his chest instead. “I just...I got invited out and I am not sure if it would count as a date or not,” he confessed, looking away. “I never got asked to hang out just to hang out before, so I don’t know what to do.”

The blond was shocked into silence, mind trying to make sense of what he had been told. Asked out? By someone? On a date?

He tried to hide his frown by shrugging and rolling his neck.

“Who asked you?”

Hinata shrunk into himself.

“A guy named Oikawa, he seemed nice enough when my mother and I ran into him in town,”

Tsukishima snorted.

“Oikawa Tooru? I am surprised he asked you,” he said bluntly. Hinata straightened.

“What?” he asked as Tsukishima moved to stand.

“He isn’t worth the time, he asks everyone out and then dumps them if they don’t do what he wants. He is hung up on some other guy,” he explained. He stood, moving to clean up the stars they hadn’t used. Hinata tried to take in the information he had been given. Without warning, Tsukishima continued.

“Oikawa sees a new person, he goes after them. They are easy,”

“Did he ask you?”

“Of course not, I am not a target,”

Hinata raised a brow, moving to stand up.

“And I am?”

Tsukishima frowned. He wanted to say yes but shook his head for no instead.

“Then why would you think he didn’t ask me just because he liked me?”

“Because he is Oikawa.”

“And I am Hinata,” the shorter male said, tone rough. He looked over at the blond with an unreadable expression. Tsukishima wondered if he had said something to offend him. His words were harsh but true: Oikawa was not a good person to hang around from what he had heard.

“What if he does like me?” Hinata asked quietly, the blond moving to stand as well. He towered over the ginger easily.

“Not likely.”

Hinata let out a laugh of disbelief.

“Not likely, huh? I guess it is hard to like an _easy_ shrimp like me,” he said. Tsukishima frowned.

“What do you me—?”

“I am tired. I want to rest,” he cut off, eyes glued to the ground.

Tsukishima was about to ask what the hell was going on with him before he was shoved out of Hinata’s room.

“I want to rest!” he repeated, offering a final glare to Tsukishima before the door was slammed in his face. He pressed a hand to the door in confusion, a frown forming on his lips.

Hinata was strong when he wanted to be.

He knocked on the door but was met with silence, mind completely confused to what had occurred.

With that, he turned and walked off, wondering why his chest felt heavier with each step he took and his heart pounded against his ribs.

 


	3. September and June

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata finds out that Tsukishima has old flames after trying to help Tsukishima with his "crush".  
> -  
> “You had a first love!” Hinata exclaimed as the blond snorted.

“Tsukishima, mind bringing these groceries over to Hinata’s place?”

The blond looked up and tilted his head as he scouted the four plastic bags filled with various food items. His gaze then turned to his mother, asking why she had gotten the neighbors groceries as well.

“Hinata’s mother caught the flu a bit ago and had to call out of her other job,” she said without missing a beat, washing the dishes and placing them on the drying rack. Tsukishima stood and stretched before moving to grab the bags. He needed to face Hinata at some point, though the other seemed to be set on ignoring him for the time being. This was the perfect way to get him to at least talk to him, even if it was a short interaction.

“Be back in a few” he called from the door, receiving an “Alright” from both his parents before heading off. Down the stairs and across the lawn-like area, he moved around the railing to walk to Hinata’s apartment door. As he was about to knock, he heard a crash from the inside and tensed.

A curse.

His eyes narrowed.

He knocked again: twice this time.

Silence.

He shifted on the doorstep with the bags, unsure of whether to knock again or leave the bags with a note. Knowing that his mother would kill him for doing the latter, he sighed. Knocking it was. He raised a hand to tap against the door until it opened, revealing a disheveled Hinata.

“Oh,” he said as if confused about why the other was there. Tsukishima wouldn’t be telling the truth if he said it didn’t hurt his pride a little.

“Mother’s orders,” he said lifting the bags in his hands as Hinata offered a small smile. “Mind if I come in?” he asked and the smile fell from the ginger’s lips immediately.

“Uh, one sec, it is just a bit messy,” he said before shutting the door. The sound of shuffling could be heard, though the ginger returned to the door only moments after.

“You may enter,” he said with a nod, the taller male having to hold his tongue. There was something about how Hinata was behaving that made him not want to tease him today...that and he had finally gotten some words out of the ginger after almost a week of no communication.

The house was spotless save for some glass on the ground, no doubt the cause of the crash he heard earlier. There also seemed to be a slight burning smell, but Tsukishima ignored it for the time being. He knew Hinata was one of the most clumsy people around, so he wouldn’t be surprised if he had woken up and stumbled into something to get to the door.

“You can just bring them to the kitchen,” Hinata said.

He took two bags himself and scuttled towards the kitchen, the taller male following behind him. As casually as he could, Tsukishima asked what had been lingering in his head all week.

“Any reason you haven’t been answering your phone recently?”

Hinata paused, tilting his head. The bags in his hands were placed down. Tsukishima was amused at the clueless expression that crossed his friend’s face. Hinata rubbed his neck.

“Ah, that. I actually let Natsu play with my phone because at first, I didn’t want to answer” he admitted. Tsukishima nodded. He couldn’t blame him.

“But she took it with her when she went to go take a bath and dropped it into the tub” he continued with a slight tint to his cheeks. “I have been in the process of getting a new one, but I sent my phone out to see if they could fix it first since I still had my plan and all.”

The blond let out a small “ah”, feeling his own embarrassment creeping up on him. He had assumed that Hinata was ignoring him purposely, it not even crossing his mind that something could have happened other than the phone being shut off. He hadn’t trusted Hinata, and for that, the embarrassment quickly shifted into guilt.

“Ah...alright then.”

“Sorry”

Tsukishima just shook his head, motioning to the bags.

“We should, uh…”

“Right” Hinata replied.

The two made minor small chat to avoid the awkwardness in the room, putting away each item. There were a few times where Tsukishima wasn’t sure where something went, but like an expert, Hinata found a place for it immediately. Once they stopped talking and solely focused on the groceries, Tsukishima noticed how silent it was in the apartment.

“You the only one here?” he questioned as Hinata took a moment before answering.

“Yeah,” he said, though he didn’t look at his friend while answering.

“Where is the battery?” he asked, referring to Natsu considering her endless energy.

Hinata chuckled at the name and peeked over his shoulder.

“She is out with my aunt, something about a girl’s day,” he said. “Usually it just means they go out to a spa and a meal”

“And your mother?”

“She went to a doctor’s appointment earlier”

“Father?”

Hinata frowned. He turned from his position on the counter, moving from his knees to sitting on his bottom. He swung his feet, the action looking adorably childish all things considered.

“He...isn’t in the picture. I guess that never came up before in a conversation, huh?” he said sheepishly. “It isn’t too bad, you can’t miss someone you have never met, right?”

Tsukishima couldn’t help but notice Hinata’s smile was suspiciously stiff, something telling him to change the topic immediately.

“What happens, happens. No need on looking back at it and wondering,” he said, unsure of whether it was out of line or not. From Hinata’s relieved posture, it seemed to work.

“Right. Thanks, Tsukishima” he said before hopping off the counter and turning.

The rest of the visit was silent save for a few sounds that Tsukishima swore he heard in other rooms of the apartment.

“Never took you as a superstitious type of person, September” Hinata teased with a hand over his lips, eyes flashing playfully. Tsukishima smirked, nudging the shorter male and walking to the door.

“Shut up, June”

* * *

 

“Why are you sulking?”

Tsukishima turned from his spot near the window to see his mother, hands on her hips and smirk on her lips. She was dressed up, no doubt going out with his father that night for dinner. Despite her having a date with his dad, she had continuously asked him questions all day about his mood. He wondered what she knew.

“I am not sulking” he replied, though neither of them bought his words. She hummed, crossing her arms.

“Do you know where Hinata is?” she asked curiously as he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. He scoffed, shaking his head.

“No.”

“Oh? So you aren’t looking out the window for him to come back from his _date_?”

Tsukishima shot up, words tumbling from his mouth before he could stop them.

“It isn’t a date”

His mother grinned and sat behind him, pushing some hair back from his face.

“So you _do_ know about where he is”

“So? And Hinata told me himself it wasn’t a date” he mumbled, it only half a lie. A full lie would have made him feel pathetic.

“Really? Because he seemed awfully excited when that boy arrived to take him out. Something about his first date and all” she pushed, brushing some hair from her face.

With a huff, Tsukishima laid back again, eyes glued to the ceiling now instead of the window.

“It is okay to be jealous, Kei”

“As if I would be jealous of Oikawa getting to take him out” he argued with a slight bite to his words. She chuckled and raised a brow.

“I meant about Hinata getting a date first, though that information is useful to know.”

He froze, wondering how his mother was always able to get stuff out of him even now.

“So you like Hinata” she stated. He glared and let out a breath of disbelief.

“What is there to like about him? He is loud and impulsive and hyperactive and energetic and caring and…”

His mother clicked her tongue.

“Hinata is rubbing off on you” she teased. “You seem to be a bit impulsive today. That filtered mouth has been shut off”

“I was always impulsive”

“Not with anything other than volleyball or music”

She...had a very good point. Did Hinata have any influence on his behavior? And if he did, how much of his personality would be changed by hanging out with the shorter male?

He became lost in thought until his mother walked over and placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Watch out for when he comes back, be good, your father and I should be back around 11”

Tsukishima nodded his head, mind still on his friend and making sense of what he was feeling.

“Alright,” he replied as she waved, shutting the door to his room and leaving him in slight darkness.

The stars were glowing, his head tilting to the side as he realized they were actually quite nice. He frowned and shut his eyes, cursing Hinata for putting that thought into his head.

Without realizing, he fell asleep; the sound of a car pulling up and a certain ginger saying goodbye falling on deaf ears.

* * *

 

Hinata wasn’t acting any differently.

Tsukishima, on the other hand, felt like he couldn’t calm the questions that raged his mind.

“And then Natsu twisted the cap and it exploded across the walls of the living room! My mother was laughing so hard, but Natsu cried because she felt so bad…” he chattered away, laughing as he recalled the memory. He shoved a fry into his mouth and chewed, taking a moment to swallow before continuing to speak.

Tsukishima kept eyeing his lip, looking away whenever Hinata faced him. He would nod his head at the appropriate times, and respond with the typical banter whenever needed. It was the only way to cover how lost in thought he was.

His mother’s words echoed in his head, and he debated if he had actually been jealous because of Hinata’s so-called date. He thought about if, quite possibly, he had developed a crush on his fellow homeschooled friend.

Sure, Tsukishima had had crushes when he was younger: his first being a girl named Hitoka and his second being a guy named Tadashi. Talking over video chat and text wasn’t exactly the best way to go about confessing, so he had decided against it. Ironically, once Tsukishima had gotten over them both, they began dating each other after meeting at a sports organized event. He was glad he was saved from the heartbreak, as he wasn’t sure how he would have handled it at the time.

“Shimashima? September? Oi!”

He looked up to see Hinata pouting.

“You weren’t listening at all!” he whined, taking another fry and chewing it. The pout remained, eyes set on the taller male.

“Ah, sorry” he replied, looking down at his own food. “Was thinking about something”

“Like?”  Hinata asked as Tsukishima tensed.

“Like? I don’t like anyone” he said quickly. A second after he cursed realizing he had worked himself up again. First his mother, now Hinata...

Hinata’s expression changed from confusion to a playful. He pushed his food away and moved closer to Tsukishima.

“Ah~ So you have someone you like!” he said in a teasing tone. The blond teen cleared his throat, unable to stop the heat that pooled at his cheeks.

Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder, the other on his own chest.

“As your senpai in life, you can ask me questions, and I will do my best to answer them” he assured. Tsukishima felt his eye twitch. He leaned in closer, Hinata not faltering.

“You are barely older, one, and two, you have only been on one date”

“It wasn’t a date” Hinata blurted automatically. He coughed into his hand, blushing and looking away. “I mean, it was, but I don’t want it to be counted as my first date”

Tsukishima raised a brow and forced the satisfaction that threatened to show to the back of his mind.

“Why not?”

Hinata fiddled with a fry, about to eat it before sighing and tossing it back into his pile.

“I realized I didn’t like Oikawa like that...he is nice and all but I just...expected more?” he said honestly. “Like more ‘gwah!’ and ‘wow!’, but it was kind of like hanging out with Natsu in a way. We got along well, but it seemed more platonic than romantic”

He stopped, pointing a finger at Tsukishima.

“Don’t think you can get out of this by changing the subject! Now spill, who do you like?” he asked as the blond rolled his eyes and looked away. “How am I supposed to help if I don’t know~” he whined, tugging at Tsukishima’s sleeve like a child begging for candy.

“I don’t like anyone”

“Please?” Hinata asked with a bright smile, though the blond wanted him to stop being so open to helping. Tsukishima didn’t want his help, but only because he was the one that he needed help with.

“I really don’t, I was just thinking about an old crush, that is all”

Hinata stopped tugging tilting his head.

“You had an old crush?”

“Two” he clarified. “But I stopped liking them long ago, so they aren’t really all that important”

Hinata seemed to calm, his hands falling at his sides as he thought about the new information. He shifted, tapping his hands against his lap and looking around the room. The behavior was odd, but so was Hinata. Tsukishima didn’t think much of it.

“How long did you like them?” Hinata asked curiously, hands beginning to fiddle with his sleeves.

“A month for the first, about a year for the second”

Hinata’s mouth dropped.

“You know that if your crush lasts longer than four months it is statistically proven to technically be love?!” he asked as he loomed over the other, looking completely shocked at the news.

“Never heard of that” the blond teen replied honestly as he grabbed a fry and began to eat. He felt more at ease now that he knew Hinata wasn’t interested in Oikawa but now felt like he was under the spotlight.

“You had a first love!” Hinata exclaimed as the blond snorted.

“I don’t think Tadashi was my first love” he assured, unsure of why he even felt the need to do so.

“Tadashi” Hinata murmured, the name sounding odd when it came from him.

“He is a friend, that is all” he promised, tone ending the conversation effectively.

When Hinata left later that night, he thanked Tsukishima for the food and company. He waved, smiling at his friend until he began his walk back toward his apartment.

Tsukishima frowned and crossed his arms, watching until Hinata entered the apartment. His eyes were narrowed, trying to figure out why Hinata’s smile was off again.

He shut the door.

They had made up, but why did something seem wrong?

 


	4. I'm Fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Shimashima, I have a question”  
> “Shoot, battery”  
> “Do you like my brother?”  
> Tsukishima's water bottle fell from his grasp, smacking against the floor.
> 
> "What?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise update....again!  
> So I explained this on my other Tsukihina story, but I will be unable to update this weekend, and so I am updated these fics now :)  
> I find it amusing how this one has the line "hell and back" considering the other story is a Princeofdarkness! AU 
> 
> Ahh, coincidences. 
> 
> Well, enough of my rambling. Enjoy!
> 
> ~HxL

“Natsu is staying over again?” Tsukishima questioned as his mother nodded, looking equally concerned.

“Apparently his mother is going out of town for business and Hinata wasn’t feeling well again. She left me in charge of all three of your homeschooling, though if he isn’t feeling well we may focus on your and Natsu to give him time to rest” she explained. “You can take over his homework if anything. There isn’t much around this time of year anyway” she said as she ruffled his hair.

“Now get some rest, I am going to go say goodnight to Natsu”

The blond nodded. When the door closed, he frowned and moved towards the window. He eyed the apartment, the lights off and no movement from what the blond could see. Was Hinata asleep already? Was he lying awake because he was too sick to actually rest?

The blond groaned as he laid back, eyeing the stars and letting out a sigh. He wished the stars could help him talk to the older male somehow: a secret messaging system. He smirked at the thought of Hinata getting freaked out at a random voice coming from his ceiling and shook his head.

He shut his eyes, trying to get his mind off of the hyperactive teen.

He would talk to him tomorrow.

* * *

 

“You look like you went to hell and back”

Hinata looked up, circles under his eyes. They stood out more than usual against his pale face. He didn’t look sick, but he looked _sickly_ ; overly worried or anxious. It reminded Tsukishima of how he looked when they first moved here those few months ago, but this was much worse. Hinata looked like he was dead on his feet, at best.

“Yeah, I figured. I am fine though. Just couldn’t sleep well” he said as he slowly moved to lay down on Tsukishima’s bed. The blond would have protested, but he figured Hinata could use the rest.

“Just sleep. I’ll wake you up in a bit” he said as Hinata smiled and muttered a response that sounded similar to a thank you, though the blond couldn’t decipher it. In minutes, Hinata was asleep, eyes closed and breathing even. Tsukishima sat at his desk, typing away on his laptop. He didn’t want to be creepy, but every few minutes he would turn to see if Hinata was alright.

There was something up with his friend, and he was fearful of finding out what it was.

He was shocked when a ringtone broke the silence of the room, nearly jumping but maintaining his composure. He looked over at Hinata’s phone, resting on the nightstand.

The ginger was so out of it that he didn’t even shift when it went off. It went silent again before ringing out a few moments later, the blond getting up.

Before he could rationalize answering it, he did so anyway, bringing it up to his ear.

_“Yahoo~! Do you still need an escape, chibi-chan?”_

Tsukishima frowned and cleared his throat. The voice alone was enough for him to know who it was.

“Hinata is sleeping at the moment.”

_“Oh~ You must be chibi-chan’s friend!”_

The blond felt a vein form in his forehead.

“I suppose that is one name for him. I prefer to call him Hinata” he said calmly as the person chuckled.

_“So formal. Very old school. I was just wondering if chibi-chan still needed me to come get him. Though I assume he is with you so he is alright now”._

This struck Tsukishima as odd and he looked back to make sure Hinata was asleep before leaving the room.

“Why would he not want to be home?”

_“Not sure. Last time when we went out together he mentioned preferring to be elsewhere. You’d have to ask chibi-chan about that.”_

“Maybe I will.”

Another chuckle, though this one seemed sincere.

_“Make sure you do right by him. He is a good kid, a bit odd sometimes up, but a good kid.”_

Odd?

Before the blond could ask, the other spoke again.

_“Ah~ I feel relieved that he is not at home for some reason. Though I have a date, so I should  get going,”_

His cheerful demeanor had returned as he bid his goodbyes before hanging up, leaving Tsukishima to think about what had just happened. He returned to his room, eyeing the sleeping male with confusion.

‘He would tell me if something was wrong’ Tsukishima assured himself.

‘Right?’

* * *

 

“Shimashima, is my brother dying?”

Said male choked on his cereal, looking over at Natsu who sat beside him. She looked concerned, chewing on her lower lip and fiddling with the spoon in her breakfast.

“Why would you ask that, Natsu?”

She hesitated as if knowing something but not allowed to say it. Tsukishima allowed her to think over her options, though didn’t take another bite of his soggy breakfast.

“Mommy says he is sick a lot, and he always looks pale now.”

She paused, looking at Tsukishima as if asking permission to keep talking.

“Go on. If you have something to say just say it. I promise I won’t tell” he said holding out a pinky. She perked up and hooked her pinky with his. She cupped her hands around her mouth, leaning closer.

“He only looks bad when Uncle comes over,” she whispered. “But he won’t tell me why..” she admitted, confusion spreading across her face.

Tsukishima frowned.

“Who is your uncle?” 

“He helped mommy back home...old home,” she said with a smile. “Mommy told us he is our uncle because he helped me learn how to write and bought us stuff sometimes”

Tsukishima thought about Natsu’s word before leaning closer, looking around to make sure his mother or father weren’t lurking around.

“Last time you stayed...you asked me if your brother was okay” he reminded. She thought about it, playing with the ribbon in her hair—courtesy of his mother— and nodding her head in remembrance.

“Yeah”

“Was your uncle visiting then?”

She nodded immediately.

“He came to see us. He said he was visiting for week”

The blond smelled something fishy but just ruffled her hair.

“I am sure your brother is not dying” he promised. “If you see anything weird, you tell me, okay?” he asked as she nodded.

“Okay. But don’t tell. Brother didn’t like it when people knew”

“When people knew what?”

“That he gets all white when uncle comes”

* * *

 

Tsukishima let out a breath. This was probably one of the stupidest ideas that he had ever had, but he was already here. It couldn’t hurt to check up on Hinata and see whether he was still alive or not. He had told Natsu he would so he couldn’t back out even if he wanted to, he realized.

Crap.

He raised a hand, taking a moment to himself before allowing it to connect with the door in front of him. It pulled away soon after, Tsukishima waiting for any indication that someone was inside.

He had given it three days: three days since Hinata’s mother left for her job. Despite waiting, there was no word from Hinata due to his lack of a cell phone.

The door opened to reveal a man who looked to be in his late 20s. He tilted his head, smiling at Tsukishima.

“Hi” he greeted as the blond looked over him. He reminded him of a cliche school teacher one would see on television: nicely dressed, well kept, and overall smiley.

“Hi...who are you?” Tsukishima asked as the man crossed his arms and chuckled.

“I should be asking you that considering that you came here?” he suggested as the blond cleared his throat.

“My name is Tsukishima Kei. I live next door. I am just here to give him his homework...”

The man nodded, moving out of the way to let him in.

“He should be in his room. My name is Hitoshi, though they usually just call me Uncle”

Tsukishima bowed his head, eyeing the man again. Uncle, huh?

His mind went back to Natsu mentioning how Hinata acted oddly around his uncle and took a mental picture of him.

“Also...before you see him, do you mind if I ask a favor?” Hitoshi asked, seeming a bit uncomfortable.

“Tell me how he is doing, he seemed shaken up after I got back last night”

The blond narrowed his eyes, nodding as he ignored the feeling in his gut.

“Sure”

* * *

 

“You...didn’t have to come. I was going to visit tomorrow once I felt better” Hinata said awkwardly, rubbing his neck. Tsukishima looked at him, noticing his hair was wilder than usual but nothing was majorly out of the ordinary. His room as spotless as ever minus the usual books and papers across the floor and desk.

“My mom asked me to come. Here”

The blond held out a folder, Hinata taking it with both hands as a small breath of relief left his lips.

“Thanks. I was wondering how much I would have to make up” he admitted with a grin. “Thankfully it isn’t too much” he commented as he looked through the folder.

The blond moved to the bean bag chair, continuing his scan of the room and his friend. Everything looked normal enough, but there was something in the air. Was Hinata nervous? Was he just off because he wasn’t feeling well?

There had never been a time where Tsukishima wished he knew how normal people acted in social situations. Being homeschooled made it hard to pick up on certain things sometimes.

“Want to play volleyball?”

Hinata looked away from the folder to give him an apologetic look.

“Ah...I should really get started on the homework though…” he reminded. Tsukishima just smirked, tilting his head.

“Really? Are you turning me down again? I am starting to think you just don’t want to hang out with me.”

Hinata’s apologetic demeanor changed to a flustered one.

“Or maybe you are just worried I have gotten too good for you to beat?”

Hinata’s eyes burned with determination as he tossed the folder onto his bed and held out a hand to Tsukishima. The act was almost instantaneous, nothing making the blond more amused than seeing Hinata riled up like usual.

“Alright. You are on”

The taller male took the hand and once on his feet glanced down at his friend in victory. He shook his head, squeezing Hinata’s hand.

“Too easy, June”

“Shut up and let’s go, September”

* * *

 

“Shimashima! How was my brother feeling?”

The girl clinging to his leg would have been fine had he not played volleyball for several hours straight. He leaned down regardless and picked her up, nodding at her question.

“He is doing okay. He looked a lot better after playing some volleyball” he promised as she smiled in relief.

“That is good! I am glad he is okay” she said as he walked into the kitchen to grab a drink. She was oddly silent considering her nickname was ‘battery’, so Tsukishima decided to try and initiate conversation.

“Natsu, what did you do today?”

It was like a dam had broken, the words spilling from her mouth at a speed Tsukishima hadn’t known was possible. Surprisingly enough, he was able to keep up in order to ask about her various activities—drawing, coloring, dancing, playing with his dad, and eating snacks while watching Disney movies. He was glad she was getting a lot out of living with them for the week, though wondered if Hinata minded. Minus his uncle being there, it was extremely quiet. It made Tsukishima wonder whether the ginger was getting any interaction at all.

He sighed and opened the fridge, grabbing a water bottle as he placed Natsu down to properly open it. She remained at his side, her chatter quieting down until she looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Shimashima, I have a question”

He raised a brow but nodded as he took a sip of his water. After a gulp, he closed it and sat down so she wasn’t straining her neck.

“Shoot, battery”

“Do you like my brother?”

Tsukishima's water bottle fell from his grasp, smacking against the floor.

"What?"

His throat felt oddly dry despite having chugged some water.

"Do you like my brother?" she repeated, though the blond had heard perfectly well the first time. 

“Uh, of course, I do. He is my friend”

She made a face and wagged her finger.

“Not what I meant. I mean to you _like_ like him. Like marry him like him”

The blond wondered how his conversation went from Natus talking about drawing unicorns and watching movies to an interrogation about his romantic endeavors.  

“Where did this come from?” he asked as she smiled.

“Mommy said that when people like each other a lot, they get married” she began as she held up a finger. “When people get married, they become one BIG family. If you marry my brother you will be my brother too!” she said with a tone that showed she thought it made perfect sense.

“So if you like him, you should marry him”

Tsukishima swallowed hard and laughed weakly, wishing that his mother or father would burst in to end this amazingly awkward conversation.

“People don’t get married that fast, Natsu” he explained. The girl pouted.

“Then what happens if they like each other?”

“They date, usually.” he said as he picked up his water and gave it another few chugs.

“Then date my brother”

He choked.

“Okay, Natsu. Let’s look at it this way” he said with a deep breath.

“Hinata is my friend. We are both guys. Sometimes people get upset when two guys are together because they think it is wrong. Some places don’t let them get married”

Natsu paused, her body going rigid. Tears formed in her eyes as she leaned closer to Tsukishima.

“Why are they so mean?!” she shouted as the blond cursed to himself.

He was so in trouble when his mother caught wind of this.

* * *

 

The window had become Tsukishima’s go to whenever he entered his room.

He always checked to make sure that the light went off at a reasonable time considering how Hinata did sometimes stay up much later than a student should. Tsukishima continued to type despite not looking at the screen, mind wandering to if the volleyball today helped.

A car pulled up much to his surprise. He watched as a man wearing a hoodie got out, swinging what seemed to be a key around his finger. The shock only grew when he stopped at Hinata’s door, opening it and disappearing behind it. Almost immediately the lights in the house went out, the blond’s feeling a flutter in his stomach.

‘It could just be his uncle’ he thought to himself. ‘No one else would be able to do something like that so leisurely’

“Kei? Are you still up?”

The blond tore his gaze away from the window to see his mother at his door with Natsu in her arms.

“Uh, just finishing up some notes for Hinata,” he said as a smile bloomed on her lips.

“Such a kind person to at least one of the Hinatas” she teased as he flushed red.

“I didn’t mean to make her cry!” he said with a bit more defense in his tone than he had meant. She just stifled her laughter as to not wake the little one in her arms.

“I know, I know. Kids are curious. It happens” she assured. “Make sure you don’t stay up too late. Love you, sweetie”

“Love you too, mom,” he said, watching the door close behind her.

His eyes looked back to the laptop for a moment before being drawn to the window. He leaned his arm against it, narrowing his eyes to try and get a better look. He could make out Hinata’s desk light through the curtains but other than that it was completely pitch black.

He swallowed hard. He’d have to keep his cool if he was going to get to the bottom of this.

Whatever _this_ was.

 


	5. Happy Birthday, June

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata asks for a favor around his birthday.  
> Tsukishima isn't the type to fulfill a favor without asking for one in return.  
> \--  
> “Once your mother gets back, I want you to come with me somewhere,” he said with a neutral expression. He refused to look Hinata in the eye after the words were said, concerned about how he would perceive them. He expected a barrage of questions similar to ‘why?’ or ‘where?’. His mind wandered to possible answers to those questions should Hinata ask.
> 
> Hinata’s voice cut through the silence, bringing Tsukishima back to reality.
> 
> “Okay.”

“Tsukishima, I need a favor.”

The blond looked over to his friend and raised a brow. It had been weeks since the incident with his uncle, but Tsukishima couldn’t find the right time to ask why the man had gotten back so late. On the brighter side of things, the ginger had seemingly gotten better over that time period. He wasn’t getting sick and often bugged the blond to play more volleyball in their downtime.

“Depends on the favor,” he replied, "And whether or not there is something in it for me."

Hinata pouted, wagging his pencil at the blond. 

“Rude~. Though my favor involves Natsu. I was wondering whether you would be able to keep her with your family again this week. My mother leaves this weekend for another business trip,”

Tsukishima felt his suspicions rise but leaned his cheek against his palm.

“Any reason why? Are you feeling sick again?”

Hinata shifted, gazing at the floor and picking at the carpet.

“No, I feel fine,” he assured, “I just...Natsu seems to cling more when we are there alone. I usually have work to do and I feel bad I can’t...you know...give her as much attention”

There was something in Hinata’s delivery of the reason that made Tsukishima feel nervous.

“Since when have you believed your sister is clingy?” he asked with a raised brow. “And if you are worried about the work why not ask your mom to cut back a little? Or ask my mom for extensions. I am sure neither would mind.”

Hinata raised his face to gaze at Tsukishima.

“Just...please?” he asked again.

“Not until you give me a valid reason. Is something wrong?”

“No!” Hinata snapped as the blond straightened. If there was any sign that Tsukishima had needed, this was it.

“No,” Hinata repeated softly, tone apologetic. “I just...I have my reasons. I promise it is valid,” he said as he placed his hands together in a begging motion.

“Please? I won’t ever complain about your snarky comments again!”

“You little...,” Tsukishima muttered until he saw a flicker of desperation in the ginger’s eyes. His resolve crumbled easily, a deep sigh leaving his lips.

“Fine,”

Hinata lit up and let out a small cheer. He felt back onto the floor in relief causing Tsukishima to snort. He tapped the table, gaining Hinata’s attention before continuing.  

“Only on one condition,”

Hinata nodded his head without restraint, sitting up completely.

“Anything!” he promised.

The blond rubbed his neck, eyeing the homework on the table in front of them both.

“Once your mother gets back, I want you to come with me somewhere,” he said with a neutral expression. He refused to look Hinata in the eye after the words were said, concerned about how he would perceive them. He expected a barrage of questions similar to ‘why?’ or ‘where?’. His mind wandered to possible answers to those questions should Hinata ask.

Hinata’s voice cut through the silence, bringing Tsukishima back to reality.

“Okay.”

Tsukishima looked up, unsure of whether he had heard correctly. Hinata was gazing at him with wide eyes, a slight blush on his cheeks.

“Yeah?”

Hinata threw his pencil at the blond, nodding again for good measure.

“Yeah,” the ginger said, holding out a hand to the blond. “Deal?”

Tsukishima couldn’t believe it, slowly taking his friend’s hand. Had he known it would be that easy to get Hinata to go with him, he might have done it a hell of a lot sooner.

“I was the one that suggested it, obviously it is a deal,” he muttered, enjoying the sound of Hinata’s quiet laughter.

“There is one more thing, though,” Tsukishima began, Hinata’s head tilting.

“Another condition? That is cruel even for you, Shimashima,” he teased, the blond turning a bit red in the face.

“Not a condition, idiot,” he said as he stood, walking to his closet. He shuffled through the items before returning, holding out a bag to Hinata.

“What is this?” he asked as he reached in, pulling out a box. Tsukishima rubbed his neck awkwardly, looking away from his friend.

“It’s a present. Happy birthday, June.”

Hinata sat there for a moment, brows furrowed and lips parted.

“It’s...my birthday,” he spoke quietly shock washing over his features. Tsukishima squinted his eyes at his friend.

“Did you forget your own birthday?” he asked in amusement. Hinata nodded, never having forgotten a birthday before, especially his own.

“I was just so concentrated on catching up on work,” he began. “I can’t believe I forgot my own birthday. How lame!” he said with a small laugh. Tsukishima nodded.

“Very lame, though if the shoe fits,”

Hinata frowned, sticking his tongue out at Tsukishima. He looked down at the box and opened the gift carefully. A soft smile appeared on his lips when he finished unwrapping it.

“A charm,” he whispered, lips parted in awe. Tsukishima cleared his throat and nodded.

“You always talked about how you felt like you were flying when you were able to jump. I thought it suited you…,”

Hinata pulled his necklace out of his shirt—a chain his mother insisted he wears at all times—clipping the crow charm to it. It dangled, looking more natural to the chain than the cross itself.  Hinata was practically vibrating once it was on.

“I need to get you an awesome gift now!” Hinata said. The blond snorted and looked back down at his book.

“A great gift would be for you to finish your chemistry homework,”

Hinata faltered, a noise of complaint leaving his lips at the realization he still had homework to do.

“Knowledge is a cruel mistress,” he moped as he sunk back onto the floor, picking up his pencil again. Tsukishima chuckled at the statement. Throughout the homework session, he noticed that Hinata’s hands constantly found their way to the crow on his necklace.

Tsukishima looked down, only for Hinata to stop writing and clear his throat.

“Ah, Shimashima?”

“Hm?”

“Thanks for this...I appreciate it,” he said softly. His arm rested on the table, face resting against it as his eyes looked up at Tsukishima. They were so sincere that the blond wondered whether Hinata had ever had a friend who got him a gift before.

“It wasn’t a big deal, get back to homework,” he said as Hinata grinned.

The ginger pinched his cheek, laughing as Tsukishima swiped at his hands.

“How cute of you to get all flustered, September,”

“Shut up before I take it back, idiot.”

* * *

 

“I think brother hates me,” she grumbled as she sat on Tsukishima’s couch, her dolls in her hand. “Whenever mommy goes away I come here and he is there. ”

The blond smiled and ruffled her hair. She had come to hang out while Hinata and his mother went out for his birthday to go shopping. She didn’t seem thrilled at the idea of having to stay with them again once her mother left for her business trip, however.

“I am sure he doesn’t hate you. Look on the bright side, kiddo. My dad can give you piggyback rides until you go back home,” he reminded, her eyes lighting up at the thought.

“Mr. Tsuki! Can I have a piggyback ride?!” she called as said man stuck his head into the living room from the kitchen. He gave Tsukishima a pointed look, though his son shrugged and turned back to the television screen.

“Sure, Natsu. Just give me a moment to finish up these dishes so that Mrs. Tsukishima can make us all some really yummy food, okay?”

She pouted but nodded her head as his father swooned, drying his hands and entering the room to ruffle her hair.

“Such an angel, aren’t you?” he asked as she grinned and nodded her head.

Tsukishima stood, leaving the room and allowing them to bond. He headed to his bedroom, intent on trying to get some work done. Once he shut his room door, however, his eyes wandered to his window again. He moved closer, elbows against the gap as he observed the area.

He saw a man smoking a cigarette on the curb and watching the cars come in and out of the lot. Tsukishima didn’t recognize him, though assumed he must be waiting for someone. A few other people were crowded near one of the streetlights, laughing and listening to some music. The block seemed popular today, much to his confusion.

His eyes moved back towards Hinata’s apartment and he wondered if this would be classified as stalking. He hadn’t known when this became a habit, but it was not going to end anything soon as far as he was concerned. At least not until he was sure that Hinata was safe.

The lights in the apartment were off except for in Hinata’s room. That was to be expected considering he was home alone.

‘Why did he want to be home alone, though?’ he wondered, squinting his eyes.

“Shimashima!”

The blond snapped out of his thoughts and shut the curtains instantly. His heart pounded as he stood.

“Yeah?” he called back, glad no one had come into his room to see his peeping habit.

“We are making smores!” she cheered, Tsukishima shaking his head.. His father was such a pushover with Hinata’s little sister. “Come ooooooooooon!”

“I am coming, I am coming,” he called back as he turned the lights off and left his room.

He’d visit the ginger later on tonight. The smores were the perfect thing to bring over as an excuse to talk with him.

* * *

 

He needed to get out of his apartment before his mother buried him in bags.

“Tell Hinata to eat the soup for breakfast tomorrow and the rest is his birthday dinner,” she explained, kissing his forehead gently. “Also, remind him that smores alone are _not_ dinner and not to eat them first,”

She paused, looking at her son in the eye this time.

“If you decide to stay over, make sure you don’t eat his food. You have some here,” she warned.

“Gee, mom. I really feel the love. Really,” he muttered, though she playfully hit his shoulder and opened the door for him.

“Tell him I said hello!”

He waved his hand as best he could, walking down the flight of stairs and beginning his walk to Hinata’s apartment. The bags weren’t all that heavy, though there were a good amount of them. His mother tended to go a bit overboard with the food-sharing sometimes. Tsukishima had to remind her that while Hinata was indeed ‘a growing boy’, that he was not a black hole. Even he had to get full at some point.

When the blond reached his friend’s apartment, he moved the bags into his left hand so he could knock without the bags hitting the door. It didn’t take long for Hinata to open the door, though he looked a bit dazed if Tsukishima said so himself.

“Ah, September,” he said with a grin, “What brings you over on this lovely night?”

“Orders from the chef for the birthday boy,” he replied with a smirk as Hinata’s eyes bulged out.

“Is all that for me?” he asked in awe. “Your mom knows I can’t eat a meal for 10, right?”

“Most likely not,” he chuckled.  Hinata’s jaw dropped.

“You laughed,” Hinata mumbled, eyes wide. “Do it again! I didn’t get a good look the first time!”

Tsukishima’s face immediately returned to his normal expression, brows raised.

“You gonna take the food or not? My arms are getting a bit tired,”

Hinata hummed, tapping his chin.

“I’ll take it if you laugh again,” he offered as the blond scoffed.

“I’ll take it home and eat it myself, then.”

Hinata looked horrified. He placed a hand on his heart while his other moved to wipe away the nonexistent tears.

“So cruel to me! Come on in, you can put them on the table” he said once his act was over. He took two of the bags and led the way. Once they were all on his kitchen table, Hinata wasted no time digging through them. The act made Tsukishima curious as to whether Hinata had been eating properly. He did seem a bit thinner, but Tsukishima wasn’t sure if it was because of the volleyball or not.

Just as his mother had predicted, he grabbed the smores first, holding the plastic in his hand with a sneaky smile.

“S’mores,” he said, rubbing the cover.

“My mother said not to eat those first,” Tsukishima lectured. Hinata winked.

“I won’t tell if you won’t,”

“Bending the rules? How rebellious,”

“They are smores, Shimashima, not drugs,” he defended.

Tsukishima didn’t budge, arms crossed in refusal. Hinata’s smile grew wider as he inched closer to his friend. He held it up to Tsukishima’s face.

“I’ll even share~” he offered. Tsukishima pushed his glasses higher onto his nose with another chuckle.

“Deal. Though for the record I did warn you,”

Hinata nudged the taller male before cracking open the plastic. He took one of them and handed it to Tsukishima.

“Fine, but if I go down I will totally find a way to bring you down with me.”

* * *

 

“Your mother should be a professional chef,” Hinata said as he lay on the living room floor with his hands on his stomach. “Ugh. So full.”

“Glad you enjoyed it,” he said with his legs stretched out, arms crossed. “I’ll be sure to relay your compliments to the chef,”

Hinata smiled and sat up with much effort, yawning. Tsukishima’s eyes softened at the sight as he stood to take his leave.

“I should get going before your mom gets back. Wouldn’t want her to think I was trying to kidnap her son,” he joked, holding out a hand for the other to take. Hinata took it without hesitation, hopping up so he was standing in front of his friend.

“Thanks for the food! It helped a lot. I feel like I can take on the world,”

“Pretty sure we already have a tiny superhero running around,” he replied. Hinata squeezed his hand and raised a brow.

“Another crack on my height, Septemeber?”

“Perhaps. Why? Is it getting to you, June?”

The two began their staring match, eyes narrowing the longer it lasted. The smiles on their lips were enough to show anyone it was all in good fun, though when Hinata blinked first it felt like Tsukishima had won the lottery.

Tsukishima raised his hands in the air, walking in circles and bowing to no one.

“The reigning champ remains the champ. Better luck next time,”

“No fair! I swear your eyes are fake or something,” Hinata whined, but his eyes showed nothing but amusement. “Oh! Before I forget, mind taking some of the work I finished over since you are headed back?” he asked.

“Sure,” Tsukishima agreed, Hinata waving for him to follow. The two teens walked to Hinata’s room, the orange haired male flickering the lights on as he began to search.

“I circled some of the math problems that I didn’t get, but I answered them the best I could. The essay itself I wasn’t able to get proof read but I think it is pretty decent. History was easy and the experiment went well. I attached pictures in the folder,” he explained.

“Now to just find everything…,”

Tsukishima stood at the door as he waited. He watched as Hinata organized everything into the folder, surprised at how he made things look when he put in the effort. The usual books were on the ground, though they were closed and piled on each other.

“It should be all there,” Hinata said, turning and offering Tsukishima the folder. “Thanks again. I owe you one,”

Tsukishima reached out to take it, though when he pulled Hinata didn’t let go. With a raised brow, he tried again to the same result.

“Any reason you won’t let go?”

Hinata didn’t answer, a teasing smile on his lips.

“If you are a reigning champion, shouldn’t you be able to take it?”

At the challenge, Tsukishima smirked. He reached out and pulled as hard as he could without the risk of ripping it apart. Hinata’s grip was surprisingly strong despite his thin frame. The two students moved in circles, Hinata’s giggles reaching his ears and flooding his stomach with butterflies. It was an odd feeling to have around Hinata of all people, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

“Shimashima, I think I may have overestimated you,” he said with a shocked expression. “Maybe you _aren’t_ as strong as I thought!”

With a sharp yank as his rebuttal, Hinata crashed forward and slammed into the blond’s chest. Tsukishima stumbled back cursing at how he lost his footing. The impact of hitting the ground made them both groan, Tsukishima more so since he was on the bottom. He opened his eyes, adjusting his glasses and freezing when he noticed Hinata was on top of him.

Of course, this would happen all because of a folder.

Hinata moved slowly, sitting atop his friend and pouting at him.

“I said to take the folder, not me,” he teased, crossing his arms.

“Ah, right. Sorry,” Tsukishima began, Hinata staring down at him in confusion. The blond cleared his throat.

“Uh...Hinata?”

“What?”

Tsukishima pointed to how Hinata was practically on his lap. The ginger’s lips parted, closing and repeating the process as he struggled to get his words out. He looked as red as one would expect in a situation like this one.

“S-Sorry!” he squeaked. “I really hadn’t meant for this to happen!”

Tsukishima nodded, looking away as he leaned up on his elbows.

“You are fine,” he assured, Hinata biting his lip, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, all good here., I just...I’ll get up and…,” Hinata whispered, one hand on his cheek as he moved to stand.

Instead of letting him, Tsukishima found his hands pressing against Hinata’s hips, holding them in place. The elder of the two froze at the action.

“September?”

Tsukishima slowly sat up so that Hinata was looking up at him again.

“June,” he replied with a slight smirk. Hinata bit his lip again to hide a smile. His head tilted to the side.

“Any reason you won’t let me go?” he asked, eyes focusing on Tsukishima’s t-shirt rather than his face. Tsukishima chuckled at him and nodded.

“The same reason you wouldn’t let go of the folder,”.

“How did you manage to turn this around on me?” he grumbled, picking at the faded design on Tsukishima’s shirt. “If anything, it is your fault for bragging about being the champion,”

Tsukishima watched, the amusement filling him at the sight. He liked this side of Hinata. It was a side he didn’t see as often as he’d like. The embarrassed, soft-spoken Hinata.

His lips parted to speak until the sound of a phone ringing shot through the apartment, shocking them both from their conversation. Hinata stood up once Tsukishima’s hands backed away.

“I’ll get it!” he offered, a nervous laugh leaving his lips as he ran off to find it.

Tsukishima, having just realized what he had done, felt his ears grow warm. He placed a hand against his face to hide his flushed expression, eyes closing. What had he been thinking? Hinata was his friend and he went and did something that he was sure crossed that boundary.

‘Shit’ he thought, wondering why his heart pounded so rapidly in his chest.

Hinata returned a few minutes later, hands behind his back.

“Your mom was just curious if you were still here,” he said with a small smile, the blond shaking his head. His mother seemed to have some weird sense whenever it came to him.

“Sounds like her,”

He moved to stand, fixing his shirt and wondering why he couldn’t look Hinata in the eye. He thought about a way to make it so this wasn’t as awkward, and so leaned down to pick up the folder. He held it up with a smug expression causing Hinata to grow confused.

“I win,” he declared.

Hinata didn’t even argue, nodding his head and laughing in relief.

“Fine. I’ll give you this one,” he agreed. The two stood silently, Hinata swinging his foot shyly.

“You...uh..your hair…,” Hinata said with a small giggle.

“What about it?”

“Uh, here. Just let me…,”

Hinata stood on his toes, brushing some of Tsukishima’s hair from his face and tucking it behind his ear. He continued to ruffle the blond locks until hey evened out, the odd areas not as visible anymore. Tsukishima’s arms had become jelly at the other’s touch.

“There,” he said with a look of approval.

Even though Hinata had said he won, Tsukishima still felt that in some twisted way, the ginger had pulled one over on him. He thanked him quietly and bid him a good night.

The short walk to his apartment was spent thinking about how warm Hinata’s touch had been, and how his head felt like it was burning.


	6. What's In A Friend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima puts his brain to work and catches on to something he should have never known.  
> \----  
> “What was…”
> 
> “I told you I was fine! Why didn’t you listen?” Hinata shouted at him as he moved away. His eyes were angry, much angrier than Tsukishima had ever seen. “Don’t you trust me?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN!  
> And so begins the spiral that is this story. 
> 
> Please pardon any typos I may have! Aall the chapters for this fic were pre-written and so I might have missed something while editing the first time. No fear, I will definitely read this again when it is not six in the morning ^^
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter <3
> 
> ~HxL

The morning had started normal enough.

Hinata came over for the first time a few days after his mother had left to play with Natsu and talk with his family. They left to play volleyball as per usual, then they went to the park to utilize the swings. At first, the blond had refused because he was not a child in the slightest, but Hinata had a way of convincing him to do things.

So here they were, Hinata swinging away like there was no tomorrow while Tsukishima only sat, watching as Hinata moved back and forth.

“And they were totally trying to crowd this guy, right? But then the hero comes in and WHOOSH takes the guys out and saves him. It was so cool!” he rambled, his voice changing volume as he swung. Tsukishima had to admit seeing him so hyperactive again was great, but his mind continued to wander to why he wanted to be home alone to the point of begging. It wasn’t as if Hinata needed time away from his sister or anything, so why not spend the week with her?

If he wasn’t sick, why didn’t he just come and live with them until his mother got back as well?

“I wish superheroes existed,” Hinata said with a dreamy smile. “They’d fight all the bad people in the world and just be completely bad ass,”

“Aren’t you a bit old to be fantasizing about people who don’t exist?” Tsukishima asked. Hinata gave him a pointed look and raised a brow.

“Aren’t you a bit _young_ to be shaming other people for their fantasies?” he replied as the blond gave an unimpressed look. He shrugged his shoulders.

"You totally got me there,”

Hinata’s smile returned as he skidded to a stop, eyeing Tsukishima with a playful look.

“Why don’t we become a tag team?” the ginger suggested.

“A what?”

“A team! You know, fight crime and take names,” he continued as he made karate motions with his hands. “Help people in need and make sure that they are safe,”

“Why would you want to do that?” Tsukishima questioned. He wasn't  _against_ it, but he wanted to know what was going on in his friend's head.

Hinata pouted, swinging slightly despite his feet not leaving the ground.

“Because sometimes there are people who need more help than others. Is it so bad to want to help?”

At the look, Tsukishima practically forgot why he had been arguing against the idea to being with. He stood, sighing and leaning down with his back to Hinata.

“What are you doing?” 

“I told you. There is already a small hero running around,” Tsukishima muttered. “And we are a tag team, so don’t you think we should have a final form or something?”

His cheeks blazed at the words. They sounded ridiculous even to him, but the way Hinata’s face lit up, he had apparently chosen the right ones.

“Right!” Hinata said as he climbed onto his shoulders easily. “So you _do_ know how these things work,” he teased. Tsukishima huffed and held onto him, hands resting just above his knees to prevent him from falling back.

“Shush or I will drop you,”

“No you won’t,” Hinata denied. “You love me and you know it,”

The blond snorted and ignored the comment as he began to walk, Hinata grinning from ear to ear.

“Watch the trees,” he warned, Hinata waving a hand to dismiss his concerns.

“A tree won’t be able to take us down, Shimashima!” he assured. The walk grew silent, Tsukishima only going in laps around the outside of the park so prevent running into unfamiliar territory. Hinata seemed to be enjoying the ride, though whenever he was about to fall his hands would pull and tug at the blond’s hair.

“Sorry!” he gasped out in horror. Tsukishima might have laughed if not for the burning sensation his scalp was suffering through.

“It is fine. Focus on not falling,” he assured, shoulder's relaxing once he was balanced.

“It didn’t hurt...did it?” Hinata whispered as he ruffled the locks gently. Hinata was certainly one of the few people he had ever met that apologized as much as he did.

“If that hurt me do you think I would still have you sit on my shoulders?” he questioned. Hinata’s worry faded, replaced with a shy smile.

“Good point,”

Tsukishima looked up at him carefully, not wanting to lean back and make him lose balance again.

“So what was all that about superheroes anyway? Did you get into a show or something?”

Hinata shook his head.

“I found some old comics in the boxes that we put into the spare room. We never sorted them out completely because of my mom and her jobs. I offered to do it, but she said it wasn’t my job,” he explained. “Natsu was also mentioning how she thought your dad was a superhero because of how strong and tall he was,”

Tsukishima chuckled at the thought.

“They hit it off pretty well,” he said, Hinata shifting on his shoulders.

“I am really glad they did. Natsu always asked about our dad, but I never really had an answer,” he chewed on his lower lip. “Most people remember at least a memory, but I had never met him so I couldn’t even make up a decent lie,”

“Would you want to lie to her anyway?”

He could tell Hinata was thinking when he received no response.

“No. It would be cruel to get her hopes up like that,” he said with a sigh. Tsukishima turned a corner and nodded.

“It would be. But just like I told you last time, the past is the past. I’d say you and your family turned out great even without him,” he complimented.

“Really?” Hinata asked as he leaned over to look Tsukishima in the eye. “You aren’t just saying that are you?” he asked as the blond grew flustered.

“Why would I lie about something like that, idiot?”

Hinata grinned and shrugged.

“People are weird. Sometimes they do it for fun,”

Tsukishima frowned, eyes remaining on his friend.

“What do you me—”

The sound of a branch cracking under his foot and his body being lurched forward made his heart drop. He could hear the sound of Hinata gasping, both of them crashing to the ground. He hissed at the feeling of skin scraping against god-knows-what. Curses left his lips as he wondered how he would explain this to his mother and Hinata’s mother.

 _Hinata_.

His eyes darted upwards. He noticed the shorter male slowly sitting up, hand on his shoulder and lips in a thin line. He was bleeding.

“Shit, I am sorry. I should have been watching my step. Are you okay?” Tsukishima asked, looking over him and resting a hand against his lower back.

“Ah, yeah, it is fine. When you grow up a clumsy kid this is nothing!” Hinata assured with a smile, though the blond couldn’t help but feel concerned about his shoulder. Hinata was a spiker for Christ sake. That was a pretty important part of his body.

“At least let me look at it...my mom is good with stuff like this,” he suggested as Hinata flinched the moment he touched the area.

“No! I mean, uh, it really isn’t that bad. I doubt there is anything there. I didn’t hit the ground that hard,” he promised. Tsukishima shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter. If it hurts then it should be looked at,” he insisted.

“I said it was fine,” Hinata repeated, tone frantic.

“Why are you being so difficult? I just want to look at it,” he said with a raised brow as he grabbed his shirt to pull it down despite the protests from his friend. His heart pounded in his chest, eyes growing a bit wide.

The feeling of Hinata slapping his hand away wasn’t anything compared to the feeling of nausea he felt in his stomach.

“What was…”

“I told you I was fine! Why didn’t you listen?” Hinata shouted at him as he moved away. His eyes were angry, much angrier than Tsukishima had ever seen. “Don’t you trust me?!”

Tsukishima narrowed his eyes, slowly hovering over Hinata. His mind was racing.

“I don’t think you should be asking me that right now. What the _hell_ was that?”

The bruise was fresh but not fresh enough to have been a result of the fall. Either Hinata was much more clumsy than he mentioned or someone else had done it. Tsukishima would bet his money on the latter.

“I fell,” he said as if it were obvious, the blond standing and brushing himself off.

“That was not something that could happen in a few minutes. Did someone hit you?”

Hinata’s lips parted, but he didn’t say a word. His breathing was heavy, arms wrapped around himself. It was like he felt the need to protect his body from Tsukishima, this making the blond grow even more upset.

“Answer the question,”

“Drop it, Tsukishima,”

Said male clenched his fists. He worked to calm his breathing, golden eyes set on his friend.

“You know I can’t do that,”

Hinata looked away, hands falling to his sides. He ran a hand through his hair and paced, unsure of what to do in this situation.

“If you are my friend you won’t tell a soul,” he blurted. “Not your parents, not my mother, and sure as hell, not Natsu,”

Tsukishima watched him incredulously, wondering where the logic had gone.

“If I am your friend? Friends don’t let friends get beaten by strangers,” he growled.

“Friends don’t try to force things out of friends!” Hinata accused as the blond backed away, the words weighing heavy on his shoulders.

“Friends don’t try to guilt their friends into keeping secrets,”

“Friends don’t act like this when their friend says to drop it!”

Tsukishima paused.

“Then are we even friends?”

The words were cold and Hinata visibly paled. He swallowed hard, leaning against a nearby tree.

“Just drop it,” Hinata repeated, voice barely above a whisper.

The ginger walked away, his taller friend following as his question hung in the air. Neither wanted to acknowledge it as they returned to the swings taking their respective seats. Hinata swung weakly, hands clenching the swing’s chains tightly. Tsukishima was motionless, listening to the creaking of his neighbor’s swing.

The clouds rolled in, the nice day becoming windy and gray. The wind made the stinging of Tsukishima’s hands a bit more prominent, though they remained rested on his lap.

Neither made a motion to move even when the rain grew harder.

* * *

That night Tsukishima avoided his family, taking a shower and locking the door to his room. He didn’t even bother to look at the window, crashing face first into his pillow. His mind kept wandering back to Hinata and the injury. It if had been smaller he might not have been so worried, but it was huge. Bigger than any other bruises Tsukishima had seen in his life.  If he had been able to pull down the shirt further, he was sure he would have run into more bruise rather than skin.

“Idiot,” he whispered as he shifted. He looked up at the ceiling, watching the stars. He thought about how as a child he would always make a wish on them. It was his way of pretending they were shooting stars across the night sky. He wasn’t a child anymore, however, and wishing wouldn’t help him. He needed to do things on his own.

Tsukishima stood, pacing around the room with his hands behind his back. If Hinata wasn’t going to tell him, he was going to go and figure this out alone. Someone was hurting Hinata.

Someone who he knew and seemed to know where Hinata lived.

His own parents were out. Obviously.

Natsu was definitely not even an option.

His mother…

The blond scrunched his nose and huffed.

“She couldn’t. She is never here,” he said aloud, surprised at the bitterness in his tone. He hadn’t realized it, but the thought of Hinata’s mother being completely clueless about this rubbed him the wrong way. She had seemed so proud of them and careful...how could something like this slip by?

If it wasn’t any of them, there was only one person left who had access to the apartment other than Hinata.

He swallowed.

_He only gets pale when Uncle comes over. He doesn’t seem to like it._

He bit his lip. The word of a child wasn’t enough to make it a guarantee that Hinata’s uncle was the cause of his bruises. It was definitely odd and noteworthy, but he couldn’t rush into this. His uncle hadn’t seemed suspicious in the slightest, but people were strange. Even Hinata has said it: people did things sometimes just for the fun of it.

How scary.

He pulled out his cell phone, pulling up a contact. His fingers typed quickly, sending the message without even a second glance.

-Hi, Mrs. Hinata. I was just wondering what the address for Hitoshi-san was...I think he forgot something at your place and I wanted to bring it back since Hinata was busy with school work-

He clenched his phone in his hand tightly, feeling a wave of guilt come over him.

He had been so blind as to have not noticed that Hinata was definitely not sick like he claimed. He should have assumed that there was something up with him from the moment Natsu mentioned it. It was still an unsure situation that he needed to tread carefully. If he got this wrong, it could end up hurting Hinata more than helping him.

Tsukishima tried to think of signs: any time that Hinata had been odd or weird that could have tipped someone off of his situation. He sat, eyes closed as he thought back.

Hinata’s anxiousness: That much was obvious the moment Tsukishima met him.

His fear of new places: Still something that Hinata hadn’t truly explained to him.

His little picking habits: biting his lip and picking at his fingers.

His lack of sleep: Hinata had claimed he was sleeping well but always looked dead tired whenever he was home alone.

Tsukishima sucked in a breath as he heard Natsu’s laughter ringing from downstairs.

If Hinata was being hurt, would Natsu have been getting the same treatment if she was with him?

“You fucking idiot,” he whispered to the empty room. The insult was more to himself than to Hinata, as he should have been able to piece that part together way before this blew up.

He sat silently in pure disbelief that Hinata had hidden this for so long from all of them. He had been forcing Natsu onto them—not that they minded—because he didn’t want whoever was hurting him to get their hands on her.

He stood, grabbing his jacket and exiting his room.

He needed to see Hinata.

* * *

 “I am not in the mood, Tsukishima,”

Hinata looked wrecked, eyes red from what Tsukishima assumed was crying. Tsukishima wanted to hug him, wanted to drag him over to his apartment right now and have him admit to what was happening. He couldn’t work the courage to do it, however. Hinata had been partially right earlier when they were arguing about what friends do and don’t do.  

Friends were meant to trust their friends, even if the situation seemed serious.

“I am sorry,” he said clearly. “I was in the wrong for forcing you to show me,” he said, Hinata biting his lip in response.

“But if Natsu were being hurt wouldn’t you want her to tell you?”

“Don’t say that,” Hinata said darkly. “Don’t...don’t ever say that,”

The blond took in a breath, holding up his hands.

“I am sorry. Bad example. But you can’t blame me for being worried,” he said. “Let me help you. Only me. I promise I won’t tell my family so long as you don’t keep secrets from me anymore,”

He held out a hand.

“I will keep it a secret. Friend to friend,”

Hinata looked hesitant, lips pursing. A gust of wind hit them both, Hinata shivering at the contact.

“How do I know you are telling the truth? How do I know you didn’t tell someone already?”

“Would I be able to tell someone something I know nothing about?”

Hinata didn’t look convinced.

“You know enough,” he whispered.

Tsukishima let out a breath and grabbed Hinata’s hand himself.

“As a friend, I guess you will just have to trust me, then,” he said, holding the other’s hand in his own carefully. “That is what friends do, right?”

The shorter male’s hand was limp until he looked up at Tsukishima, squeezing his hand tightly.

“Fine. One chance,” he whispered. “If anyone finds out, I am gone,”

The taller male was confused by the declaration but didn’t argue. Tsukishima would have taken his threat more seriously if Hinata was more social and actually interacted with other people. Where would he even go if he did try to leave?

“Do friends threaten to leave each other, too?” Tsukishima asked quietly, Hinata’s eyes growing glassier by the second. He pulled his hand away, turning his back to Tsukishima.

“Good night, Tsukishima,” he said as he shut the door quietly, leaving the blond on the doorstep in the darkness. Tsukishima’s eyes remained on the door taking in the events of the day up until now. As he turned to walk back to his own apartment, he could have sworn he heard whimpering from Hinata’s apartment. It weighed down on him.

He could easily knock again and comfort Hinata—say that he was sorry again and that he would help if he could.

Instead, Tsukishima chose to walk back to his apartment, trying his hardest to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.


End file.
